Frequently Asked Questions

A Panchang (also spelled Panchangam) is the traditional Hindu calendar and almanac. It tracks five key elements of Vedic time — Tithi (lunar day), Nakshatra (lunar mansion), Yoga (Sun-Moon angle), Karana (half-tithi), and Vara (weekday). These elements determine auspicious and inauspicious timings for rituals, ceremonies, and daily activities.

A Tithi is one of 30 lunar days in a Hindu month. It is determined by the angular distance between the Sun and Moon. Each 12-degree increment equals one tithi. There are 15 tithis in the waxing phase (Shukla Paksha) and 15 in the waning phase (Krishna Paksha). Tithis are fundamental to determining festival dates, fasting days, and auspicious timings.

A Nakshatra is one of 27 lunar mansions or star constellations through which the Moon passes during its monthly cycle. Each nakshatra spans 13°20' of the ecliptic. Nakshatras guide muhurat selection for ceremonies like weddings, housewarming, and business ventures. They also influence daily horoscopes in Vedic astrology.

Rahu Kaal (also spelled Rahu Kalam) is an inauspicious time period that occurs every day, lasting approximately 1.5 hours. It is calculated by dividing the daylight hours into 8 equal parts, with each day of the week having a different slot assigned to Rahu. Hindus typically avoid starting new ventures, journeys, or important activities during Rahu Kaal.

Choghadiya divides each day (sunrise to sunset) into 8 time slots of approximately equal duration. Each slot is classified as Amrit (best), Shubh (good), Labh (profitable), Chal (neutral), Rog (bad for health), Kaal (death-related), or Udveg (anxiety). Choghadiya is widely used in Gujarat and western India for quick muhurat decisions.

Sunrise time depends on geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) and the Earth's axial tilt. Cities farther east see the sun earlier, while cities at different latitudes experience varying day lengths throughout the year. Tithi Mala computes precise sunrise and sunset times for each city using Swiss Ephemeris, a high-precision astronomical library used by research institutions.

Swiss Ephemeris is a high-precision astronomical computation library originally developed by Astrodienst AG in Switzerland. It provides planetary positions with arcsecond accuracy for millennia. Tithi Mala uses Swiss Ephemeris via the panchangam engine to compute all panchang elements — tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise, sunset, and muhurat times — ensuring calculations match observatory-grade precision.

Shukla Paksha is the waxing fortnight when the Moon grows from new moon (Amavasya) to full moon (Purnima). Krishna Paksha is the waning fortnight from full moon back to new moon. Many Hindu festivals fall on specific tithis within a specific paksha — for example, Diwali falls on Amavasya (last day of Krishna Paksha in Kartik month).

A Yoga is one of 27 combinations formed by adding the longitudes of the Sun and Moon. Each yoga spans 13°20' of combined motion. Yogas range from highly auspicious (like Siddhi and Amrit) to inauspicious (like Vishkumbha and Vajra). They are an important factor in muhurat calculations alongside tithi and nakshatra.

A Karana is half of a tithi, so there are 60 karanas in a lunar month. Of the 11 named karanas, 4 are fixed (occurring once per month) and 7 are movable (repeating 8 times each). Karanas influence the suitability of certain activities — some are good for travel, others for agriculture or religious ceremonies.

A Muhurat (also Muhurta) is an auspicious time window determined by the alignment of multiple panchang elements — tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, and planetary positions. Finding the right muhurat is essential for Hindu ceremonies like weddings (Vivah Muhurat), housewarming (Griha Pravesh), and new business openings. Tithi Mala shows Choghadiya-based muhurat times for quick daily reference.

Tithi Mala uses the panchangam computation engine built on Swiss Ephemeris, which provides planetary positions with sub-arcsecond precision validated against NASA's JPL ephemeris data. All calculations — tithi transitions, nakshatra changes, sunrise/sunset, Rahu Kaal, and Choghadiya — are computed fresh for each location's exact coordinates, not approximated from a single reference city.

No. Tithi Mala is a panchang service focused on Vedic astronomical data — tithi, nakshatra, yoga, karana, sunrise, sunset, Rahu Kaal, and Choghadiya. We do not provide horoscopes, birth charts (kundali), matchmaking, or predictive astrology of any kind.

Tithi Mala provides location-specific panchang data for 15 major Indian cities: Varanasi, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Patna, Indore, Ujjain, and Haridwar. You can also use the 'My Location' feature to get panchang data computed for your exact GPS coordinates.

Naam Jap (also Nama Japa) is the meditative practice of repeating a sacred mantra. Tithi Mala provides a digital Naam Jap counter with a mala bead visualization, haptic feedback, and sound. You can choose from 10 sacred mantras or enter your own, set a goal (count or time), and track your daily sadhana. The counter works fully offline.

Yes. All panchang data, city pages, the Naam Jap counter, and festival information on Tithi Mala are completely free. There are no paywalls, no premium tiers for panchang data, and no ads on the Naam Jap counter screen.